Slipped Away
by Remus J. Lupin-Black
Summary: In a world where Sirius never fell through the veil, things will take a different sort of turn. RemusSirius and several others as well eventually.
1. The Only One He Ever Feared

**Title**: Slipped Away  
**Author**: Ex-Professor Remus Lupin  
**Rating**: PG-13 but it may or may not eventually be R  
**Genre**: Action/Adventure/Alternate Universe/Romance  
**Era**: OotP – HBP  
**Summary**: In a world where Sirius never fell through the veil, things will take a different sort of turn.  
**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Author's Note**: This is a prompt given to me at rsplots on LiveJournal by the darling shaggydogstail. I thank my wonderful beta HK for bothering to read through this drivel and point out my awful grammar and spelling: like bleedingly. I'm picking up during chapter thirty-five: Beyond the Veil, on page 799 in the U.S. hardcover edition. Harry and Neville, the only ones capable of fighting after the incident with Ron in the Brain Room, have fallen into the Death Room. The Death Eaters surround them...reviews are appreciated, as is advice on how to make it better.  
-  
**Chapter One**  
The Only One He Ever Feared  
-  
He was falling down steep stone step after steep stone step, bouncing on every tier until at last, with a crash that knocked all the breath out of his body, he landed flat on his back in the sunken pit where the stone archway stood on its dais. The whole room was ringing with the Death Eaters' laughter.

He looked and saw the five who had been in the brain room descending toward him, while as many more emerged from other doorways and began leaping from bench to bench toward him. Harry got to his feet; though his legs were trembling so bad they barely supported him. The prophecy was still miraculously unbroken in his left hand, his wand clutched tightly in his right. He backed away, looking around, trying to keep all the Death Eaters within his sights. The back of his legs hit something solid. He had reached the dais where the archway stood. He climbed backward onto it.

The Death Eaters all halted, gazing at him. Some were panting as hard as he was, one was bleeding badly and Dolohov, freed of the full body bind, was leering, his wand pointing straight at Harry's face.

"Potter, your race is run," drawled Lucius Malfoy, pulling off his mask, "now hand me the prophecy like a good boy."

"Let – let the others go and I'll give it to you," said Harry desperately.

A few of the Death Eaters laughed.

"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," said Lucius Malfoy, his pale face flushed with pleasure. "You see there are ten of us and only one of you – or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"

"He's dot alone!" shouted a voice from above them. "He's still god be!"

Harry's heart sank. Neville was scrambling down the stone benches toward them. Hermione's wand held fast in his trembling hand.

"Neville! No – go back to Ron!"

"_Stubefy_!" Neville shouted again, pointing his wand at each Death Eater in turn. "_Stubefy_! _Stube_–"

One of the largest Death Eaters seized Neville from behind, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled and kicked. Several of the Death Eaters laughed.

"Its Longbottom isn't it?" sneered Lucius Malfoy. "Well your grandmother is used to loosing family members to our cause. Your death will not come as a great shock."

"Longbottom!" repeated Bellatrix and a truly evil smile lit her gaunt face. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy."

"I doe you hab," roared Neville, and he fought so hard against his captors encircling grip that the Death Eaters shouted, "Someone stun him!"

"No, no, no," said Bellatrix. She looked transported, alive with excitement as she glanced at Harry and then back at Neville. "No. Let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents. Unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy."

"Don'b gib id do dem!" roared Neville, who seemed beside himself, kicking and writhing as Bellatrix drew nearer to him and his captor, her wand raised. "Don'd gib id do dem, Harry!"

Bellatrix raised her wand.

"_Crucio_!" Neville screamed, his legs drawn up to his chest so that the Death Eater holding him was momentarily holding him off the ground.

The Death Eater dropped him and he fell to the floor, twitching and screaming in agony.

"That was just a taster," said Bellatrix, raising her wand so that Neville's screams stopped and he lay sobbing at her feet. She turned and gazed up at Harry. "Now Potter, either give us the prophecy or watch your little friend die the hard way."

Harry did not have to think, there was no choice. The prophecy was hot with the heat of his clutching hand as he held it out. Malfoy jumped forward to take it and then high above them, two more doors burst open and five more people sprinted into the room. Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley. Malfoy turned and raised his wand, but Tonks had already sent a stunning spell right at him.

Harry did not wait to see whether it had made contact, but dived off the dais out of the way. The Death Eaters were completely distracted by the appearance of the members of the Order who were now raining spells upon them as they jumped from step to step toward the sunken floor. Through the darting bodies, the flashes of light, Harry could see Neville crawling along. He dodged another red jet of light and flung himself flat on the ground to reach Neville.

"Are you okay?" he yelled as another spell soared inches over their heads.

"Yes," said Neville, trying to pull himself up.

"And Ron?"

"I dink he's all right--he was still fighding the brain when I left--" the stone floor between them exploded as a spell hit it, leaving a crater right where Neville's hand had been seconds before.

Both scrambled away from the spot, and then a thick arm came out of nowhere, seized Harry around the neck and pulled him upright so that his toes were barely touching the floor.

"Give it to me!" growled a voice in his ear. "Give me the prophecy!"

The man was pressing so tightly on Harry's windpipe that he could not breath. Through watering eyes he saw Sirius dueling with a Death Eater some ten feet away. Kingsley was fighting two at once. Tonks, still halfway up the tiered seats, firing spells down at Bellatrix. No body seemed to realize that Harry was dying. He turned his wand backward toward the man's side but had no breath to utter an incantation and the man's free hand was groping toward the hand in which Harry was grasping the prophecy.

Neville came lunging out of nowhere, unable to articulate a spell, he had jabbed Hermione's wand hard into the eyehole of the Death Eater's mask. The man relinquished Harry at once with a howl of pain and Harry whirled around to face him and gasped, "_Stupefy_!"

The Death Eater keeled over backwards and his mask slipped off. It was McNair; Buckbeak's would be killer, one of his eyes now swollen and bloodshot.

"Thanks," Harry said to Neville, pulling him aside as Sirius and his Death Eater lurched past, dueling so fiercely that their wands were blurs.

Harry's foot made contact with something round and hard and he slipped. For a moment, he thought he had dropped the prophecy, then saw Moody's magic eye spinning away across the floor. Its owner was lying on his side, bleeding from the head, and his attacker was now bearing down upon Harry and Neville.

Dolohov, his long, pale face twisted with glee.

"_Tarantallegra_!" he shouted, his wand pointing at Neville, whose legs went immediately into a kind of frenzied tap dance, unbalancing him and causing him to fall to the floor again.

"Now, Potter," he made the same slashing movement with his wand as he had used with Hermione just as Harry yelled, "_Protego_!" Harry felt something streak across his face like a blunt knife, the force of it knocking him sideways so he fell over Neville's jerking legs but the shield charm had stopped the worst of the spell.

Dolohov raised his wand again.

"_Accio prophe_–" Sirius hurtled out of nowhere, ramming Dolohov with his shoulder and sending him flying out of the way.

The prophecy had again flown to the tips of Harry's fingers but he had managed to cling to it. Now Sirius and Dolohov were dealing, their wands flashing like swords, sparks flying from their wand tips. Dolohov drew back his wand to make the same slashing movement he had used on Harry and Hermione. Springing up, Harry yelled, "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

Once again, Dolohov's arms and legs snapped together and he keeled over backward, landing with a crash on his back.

"Nice one," shouted Sirius, forcing Harry down as a pair of stunning spells flew toward them. "Now I want you to get out of–"

They both ducked again. A jet of green light had narrowly missed Sirius. Across the room Harry saw Tonks fall from halfway up the stone steps, her limp form toppling from stone seat to stone seat and Bellatrix, triumphant ran back toward the fray.

"Harry, take the prophecy! Grab Neville and run!" Sirius yelled, dashing to meet Bellatrix.

Harry did not see what happened next as Kingsley appeared in his field of vision; battling with the pockmarked Rookwood, now mask less. Another jet of green light flew over Harry's head as he launched himself toward Neville–

"Can you stand?" he yelled as Neville's legs jerked and twitched uncontrollably. "Put your arm around my neck!"

Neville did so and Harry pulled him to his feet, trying to set Neville on his feet. Quickly, he realized that Neville's legs would not support him. Out of nowhere, a man lunged at them. They fell, Neville's legs waving wildly as he landed on his back and Harry, threw his arm up into the air to prevent the prophecy from being smashed.

"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!" snarled Lucius Malfoy, his wand pressing painful between Harry's ribs.

"No – get – off – me...Neville – catch it!" Harry tossed the prophecy across the floor.

Neville spun himself around and scooped the glass ball to his chest. Malfoy pointed his wand at Neville, still holding Harry pinned to the ground and Harry jabbed his wand over his shoulder and yelled, "_Impedimenta_!"

Malfoy was blasted off of him and Harry scrambled to his feet and looked around as Malfoy smashed into the dais where Sirius and Bellatrix were dueling.

Malfoy aimed his wand at Harry and Neville again, but before he could draw breath, Lupin jumped between them.

"Harry, round up the others and go!" Harry seized Neville by the shoulder of his robes and lifted him up the bottom of the first tier of stone steps.

Neville's legs twitched and jerked and would not support his weight. Harry heaved again with all the strength he possessed and they climbed another step. A spell hit the stone bench at Harry's heel. It crumbled away and he fell back to the step below. Neville sank to the ground, his legs still jerking and thrashing and thrust the prophecy into his pocket.

"Come on!" Harry said desperately, hauling at Neville's robes. "Just try and push with your legs!"

He pulled again and Neville's robes tore along the left seam and the small spun glass ball dropped from his pocket. Before either of them could catch it, one of Neville's floundering feet kicked it. It flew some ten feet to their right and shattered on the step beneath them. As both of them stared at it, appalled at what had happened, a pearly white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by anyone but them. Harry could see its mouth moving, but with all the crashes and screams and yells surrounding them, not one word of the prophecy could be heard. The figure stopped speaking and dissolved into nothingness.

"Harry, I'b sorry!" cried Neville, his face anguished as his legs continued to flounder. "I'b so sorry, Harry, I didn'd bean do–"

"It doesn't matter! Just try and stand!" Harry shouted. "Let's get out of–"

"Dubbledore!" said Neville, his sweaty face suddenly transformed, staring over Harry's shoulder.

"What?"

"Dubbledore!" Harry turned around to look where Neville was staring.

Directly above them, framed in the doorway, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, face white and furious. Harry felt a wave of relief surge through his body. They were saved.

Dumbledore sped down the steps past Neville and Harry. They had no more thought of leaving. Dumbledore was already at the foot of the steps when the Death Eaters nearest realized he was there. There were yells and one of the nearest Death Eaters ran for it, scrambling up the stone steps opposite. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as if he had hooked him with an invisible line–

Only one couple was still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light. He was laughing at her.

"Come on! You can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the room.

Harry saw Lupin moving toward them both, his wand raised.

"_Impedimenta_!" Bellatrix flew back, crashing into the lower tier of steps and Sirius looked at Lupin in surprise as he jumped down from the dais, saying something sharply that went unheard. Lupin answered in kind.

"No!" Bellatrix scrambled to her feet, and Kingsley moved forward to battle her as Harry ran down the steps toward his godfather and Lupin, ignoring the movement around them for the moment, and leaving Neville behind on the stairs.

Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, immobilized by invisible ropes. Mad-Eye Moody had crawled across the floor to where Tonks lay and was attempting to revive her.

"Harry, where's Neville?" Lupin asked, turning to him as he stopped at their side. Sirius fumed at his side, but he looked at Harry worriedly.

Harry pointed and watched as Lupin moved past him, casting a spell at Neville's legs so that they stopped twitching and came to a rest on the ground.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded, swallowing down a lump that had formed in his throat.

There was a loud bang and a yell from behind the dais and Harry saw Kingsley yelling in pain and hit the ground. Bellatrix Lestrange turned tail and ran as Dumbledore whipped around. He aimed a spell at her but she deflected it. Sirius cursed and took off after her.

"Harry no!" cried Lupin, but Harry had already taken off after his godfather, scrambling up the stone benches. He heard voices behind him and more footsteps, but he didn't care. He had to help Sirius.

The hem of Bellatrix's robes whipped out of sight and they were back in the brain room. She aimed a curse over her shoulder and the tank floated up and tipped over. They were both deluged in the foul smelling potion within and the brains slithered and slipped across the floor, their long colored tentacles whipping out toward them.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" Harry cried and the brains flew into the air away from them just as Lupin caught up with them, nearly slipping on the floor, catching himself on Sirius' arm.

"This way," Sirius growled, and he took off toward the door, nearly tripping over Luna who was groaning on the floor. "Harry, take care of her!"

Harry shook his head as Lupin stopped at her side and he followed Sirius past Ginny who tried to say something, but never managed it, past Ron who was giggling feebly, and finally Hermione, who was still unconscious. Sirius wrenched open the door that led into the circular black hall and as Harry stopped behind him, watched as Bellatrix disappeared through a door on the other side of the room. Beyond her was the corridor leading back to the lifts.

Sirius ran, Harry at his heels, but she had slammed the door behind her and the walls began to rotate again. Harry cursed.

"Exit!" Sirius shouted as the walls stopped moving.

The door behind them flew open and Sirius turned, taking off down the empty torch lit hall toward the lifts. Harry followed. He could hear a lift clattering ahead of them and as they sprinted up the hallway and around the corner, Sirius slammed his palm onto the button to call a second lift.

It jangled and banged lower and lower and as the doors slid open, someone ran toward them down the hall. Harry turned just as Lupin neared them and Sirius nodded, stepping into the lift and pulling Harry with him.

"The others are okay," Lupin said, stepping in beside Sirius as he hammered the button marked atrium.

"Good," Sirius growled.

The doors slid shut and they were rising.

Sirius forced the doors open when they arrived, moving out into the atrium, wand at the ready. Bellatrix was almost at the telephone lift at the end of the halls, but Sirius shouted and she turned, aiming another spell back at them. Lupin grabbed Harry, pulling him behind the fountain as Sirius threw up a shield spell. There were no more footsteps. She had stopped to fight Sirius. Harry and Lupin crouched behind the fountain, Lupin's hand holding onto his arm and Sirius ducked behind it as well, panting.

"Come out, little cousin," Bellatrix cooed. "Come play with me."

"Give me a moment!" shouted Sirius, his voice echoing in the room as he glanced at Harry and Lupin, concern written on his face. "Get him out of here," he hissed.

"Come out. Come out and play, cousin," Sirius' face twisted in anger and he made to stand, but Lupin had caught his arm, shaking his head.

"Fine," Sirius wrenched his arm from Lupin's grasp and stood. "_Crucio_!"

Bellatrix screamed, her face twisting in pain as she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Lupin's grip tightened painfully on Harry's arm as he struggled to pull himself free, to help Sirius, but it was useless, Lupin's hold was too strong.

"I'm surprised with you cousin," Bellatrix hissed. "I thought you would never want to cause pain. Never thought you'd enjoy it. _Crucio_!"

Sirius ducked down again as the spell hit the Centaur's head, knocking it clear across the room.

"Don't think you can get away from me," Harry heard Bellatrix moving to the right, trying to get a clear shot at them. Sirius and Lupin backed away from her, crouching behind the centaur's legs as they pulled Harry with them. "I was and am the Dark Lord's most loyal servant. I've learned the Dark Arts from him and I know spells that you and your little werewolf couldn't even begin to hope to compete with me."

"_Stupefy_!" Sirius had edged around the fountain a bit and ended up behind Bellatrix, casting the spell just before she could happen upon Harry and Lupin.

"_Protego_!" the jet of red light, the stunning spell, bounced back at him and Sirius scrambled back as one of the goblin's ears went flying across the room.

"Give me the prophecy, little Harry. Roll it out to me now and I may spare all of your lives."

"I haven't got it! It broke!" Harry shouted and pain seared across his forehead. His scar was on fire again as a surge of fury moved through him. "He knows! Voldemort knows it's gone!"

"What? What do you mean?" Bellatrix sounded fearful and Sirius bit back a bark of laughter and Lupin gazed at Harry in surprise.

"The prophecy smashed while I dragging Neville up the steps. What do you think Voldemort will say about that?" his scar seared and burned and his eyes streamed with the pain.

"Harry?" Sirius sounded alarmed.

"Liar!" the fear was plain in Bellatrix's voice. "You've got it, Potter! _Accio Prophesy_! _Accio Prophesy_!"

Harry laughed, wildly; the pain so bad now that he thought his head might burst. He was aware that Sirius and Lupin were nearby, trying to figure out what to do, but he waved them off as a jet of green light flew over them and they retaliated with another stunning spell.

"Nothing to summon Bellatrix!" Sirius shouted. "Voldemort isn't–"

"No!" she screamed. "You're lying! Master I tried. I tried. Do not punish me."

Sirius gasped and Harry felt Lupin's already numbing grip on his arm tighten and he winced.

"Voldemort isn't here," Harry gasped, eyes screwed up against the pain in his scar.

"I'm not, Potter?" said a high, cold voice.

Harry opened his eyes. Tall, thin and black hooded, his terrible snake-like face white and gaunt, his scarlet pupil eyes staring, Lord Voldemort had appeared in the middle of the hall, his wand pointing at the three of them. Harry froze, unable to move.

"So you smashed my prophecy?" said Voldemort softly, staring at Harry with pitiless red eyes. He flicked his gaze to Sirius and Lupin, both of whom had stood up. "Do you really think you can protect him?"

"Lily and James did," Sirius growled, leveling his wand as Lupin raised his own.

"Of course," Voldemort said dangerously. "Silence, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix was sniveling at his feet, but she fell silent at his quiet command and Voldemort turned his attention back on Sirius and Lupin, Harry on the floor behind him, clutching his wand weakly in his hand.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Harry didn't have a chance to open his mouth as the green light flared toward them. His mind was blank as the golden statue of the wizard in the fountain sprang to life, crashing to the floor between them and Voldemort, the spell glancing off its chest as the statue flung out its arm, protecting all three of them.

"What?" said Voldemort, staring around and then he breathed, "Dumbledore."

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, kneeling down beside Harry and grabbing his shoulder while Harry turned toward the golden gates of the lift. Dumbledore was standing there as Voldemort raised his wand and sent a jet of green light toward him. But Dumbledore turned and was gone in a whirling of his cloak. Next second he had reappeared behind Voldemort and waved his wand toward the remnants of the fountain.

The statue of the witch ran at Bellatrix, who screamed and sent spell streaming uselessly at its chest before it dived at her, pinning her to the floor. Meanwhile the goblin and the house elf scuttled toward the fireplaces set along the wall and the centaur galloped at Voldemort who vanished and reappeared beside the pool.

Lupin pulled Harry back away from the fight, Sirius following them as Dumbledore advanced on Voldemort and the golden centaur cantered around them both.

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly. "The other Aurors are on their way."

"At which time I shall be gone and you dead," spat Voldemort.

He sent another killing curse at Dumbledore, but missed, instead hitting the security guard's desk, which burst into flames. Dumbledore flicked his own wand, the force of the spell that emanated from it was such that Harry, shielded by both Sirius and Remus, felt his hair stand on end as it passed. This time Voldemort was forced to conjure a shining, silver shield out of thin air to deflect it. The spell, whatever it was, caused no visible damage to the shield, but a deep, gong-like note reverberated through the air.

"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" called Voldemort, his scarlet eyes narrowed above the shield. "Above such brutality, are you?"

"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk toward Voldemort as though he had not a fear in the world, as if nothing had interrupt his stroll up the hall. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me."

"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore," snarled Voldemort.

"You are quite wrong," said Dumbledore, still closing in on Voldemort and speaking as if they were discussing the matter over drinks. Harry felt a wave of fear as he watched Dumbledore stride up the hall, unguarded. He wanted to shout out a warning or help, but Sirius and Lupin, still behind him, stopped his attempts to move away.

"Your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness," another jet of green light flew from behind the shield.

This time it was the centaur, galloping in front of Dumbledore that took the blast. It shattered into a hundred pieces. Dumbledore raised his wand as though brandishing a whip and a long thin flame flew from the tip. It wrapped itself around Voldemort, shield and all and it seemed for a moment that Dumbledore had won, but then the fiery rope became a serpent, which relinquished its hold on Voldemort and turned, hissing furiously to face Dumbledore.

Voldemort vanished.

The snake reared, ready to strike and there was a burst of flame above Dumbledore's head just as Voldemort reappeared, standing on the plinth in the middle of the hall, where the five statues had stood moments before.

"Watch it!" Sirius yelled just as Harry cried out in alarm, but even as they both shouted and Lupin tightened his hand on Harry's should, one more jet of green light shot out from Voldemort's wand and the snake struck.

Fawkes swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened his beak wide, and swallowed the jet of green light whole. He burst into flame and fell to the floor, small, wrinkled, and flightless. At the same moment, Dumbledore brandished his wand. The snake, which had been an instant from sinking its fangs into him, flew high into the air and vanished with a wisp of dark smoke.

The water in the pool rose up and covered Voldemort like a cocoon of molten glass. For a few seconds, Voldemort was visible only as a dark rippling faceless figure, shimmering and indistinct upon the plinth, clearly struggling to throw off the suffocating mask. Then he was gone. The water fell back with a crash, slopping wildly over the sides, drenching the polished floor.

"Master!" screamed Bellatrix.

Sure that it was over and sure that Voldemort had decided to flee, Harry made to run out from behind Sirius, but they both grabbed him as Dumbledore bellowed, "Stay where you are, Harry!"

For the first time Dumbledore sounded frightened.

Sirius stepped in front of Harry and Lupin pulled him back into him, his arms around Harry's shoulders, keeping him from moving. Harry couldn't see why they were so worried, the hall was empty, the sobbing Bellatrix still trapped beneath her statue and the tiny baby Fawkes still croaking feebly on the floor.

Then Harry's scar burst open. He knew he was dead. It was pain beyond imagining. Pain past endurance. He was gone from the hall and locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes. They were so tightly bound that Harry did not know where his body ended and the creatures began. They were fused together, bound by pain and there was no escape. The creature spoke, using Harry's mouth so that in his agony, he felt his jaw move.

"Kill me now, Dumbledore," blinded and dying, every part of him screaming for release, Harry felt the creature use him again. "If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy."

Let the pain stop, thought Harry. Let him kill us. End it, Dumbledore. Death is nothing compared to this.

"Harry!" Sirius' voice broke through the haze of pain. "Harry, stay with us!"

As Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creature's coils loosened and the pain was gone. Harry was still pulled tightly again Lupin's chest, sweat beading down his face, Sirius' hand on his shoulder. He felt as if the air had turned to ice, his body shivering as he gasped for air. There were voices echoing through the hall, more voices than there should have been. Harry opened his eyes and saw Sirius standing before him, worry written across his once handsome face. Dumbledore was standing beside them.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Harry breathed.

"Where's Voldemort?" Sirius demanded, straightening up and glaring around the room. Lupin released one of his arms still around Harry's shoulder and caught his wrist, bringing his attention back to him and Harry.

"Who're all these people?" Harry asked quietly.

The atrium was full of people. The floor reflecting emerald green flames that had burst to life along one wall as a stream of witches and wizards were emerging from them. As Lupin released him and Harry stood shakily on his own two legs, Sirius checked him over for injuries, the tiny gold statues of the house elf and goblin led a stunned looking Cornelius Fudge forward.

"He was there!" shouted a scarlet robed man with a ponytail, pointing to a pile of gold rubble on the other side of the hall where Bellatrix had lain trapped moments before. "I saw him, Mister Fudge! I swear it was You-Know-Who! He grabbed a woman and Disapparated!"

"I know! I know Williamson! I saw him to!" gibbered Fudge who was wearing pajamas under his pinstriped cloak and was gasping as though he had just run miles. "Merlin's beard! Here! Here in the Ministry of Magic! My word! How can this be?"

"If you precede down into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, apparently satisfied that Harry, Sirius, and Lupin were all right and walking forward, making it clear to the newcomers that they were all there. A few of them raised their wands and others simply looked amazed. "You will find several escaped Death Eaters in the death chamber bound by an anti-Disapparation jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them."

"Dumbledore!" gasped Fudge, apparently beside himself in amazement. "I – I," Fudge looked wildly around at the Aurors he had brought with him and it was clear he had half a mind to yell 'seize him.'

"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men and win, again," said Dumbledore in a thunderous voice. "But a few minutes ago, you saw proof with your own eyes that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned and you have been chasing the wrong man for twelve months. It is time you listened to sense."

"Well, I," Fudge looked around as if hoping someone was going to tell him what to do. When it became apparent that they weren't, he said, "Very well; Dawlish, Williamson, go down to the Department of Mysteries and see. Dumbledore, you – you will need to tell me exactly – the Fountain of Magical Brethren – what happened?"

Dumbledore waved his hand.

"We can discuss that after I have sent Harry back to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.

"Harry? Harry Potter?" Fudge wheeled around and stared at them where they were standing against the wall, Lupin's hand on Harry's shoulder as he released Sirius' wrist. "Sirius Black!"

Several Aurors noticed Sirius for the first time and moved forward, wands raised.

"No!" Harry shouted, but Lupin held him still and Sirius raised his wand.

"As you may recall, Cornelius, I have for several months now, been trying to get a hearing regarding new proofs to Sirius Black's innocence," Dumbledore said calmly. "Having him here will, of course, speed along the process."

Sirius looked incredulously at Dumbledore and his hand fell back to his side. Harry relaxed, stepping back as Dumbledore turned to them.

"He – both of them – here," said Fudge, goggling at the three of them. "Why? What's all this about?"

"We shall explain everything," repeated Dumbledore, "when Harry is back at school."

He walked away from Fudge, picking up the golden wizard's head from where it lay on the floor. Pointing his wand at it, he said, "_Portus_."

The head glowed blue and trembled, then became still once more.

"Now see here, Dumbledore," said Fudge as Dumbledore walked toward Harry, Sirius, and Lupin, cradling it. "You haven't got authorization for that Portkey. You can't do things right in front of the Minister of Magic. You – you," his voice faltered as Dumbledore surveyed him magisterially over his half-moon spectacles.

"You will give the order to remove Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts," said Dumbledore. "You will tell your Aurors to stop searching for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so that he may return to work and you will refrain from doing anything to Sirius Black until I have given you the evidence to prove his innocence. I will give you," Dumbledore pulled a watch with twelve hands from his pocket and surveyed it, "an hour of my time tonight, in which I think we shall be able to cover the important points of what has happened here and make it clear that a hearing is in order for young Mister Black. After that, I shall need to return to my school. If you need more help from me, you are of course welcome to contact me at Hogwarts. Letters addressed to the Headmaster will find me."

Fudge goggled worse than ever; his mouth open and his round face grew pink under his gray hair.

"I – you," Dumbledore turned his back on him.

"Take this Portkey, Harry," he held out the golden head of the statue and Harry placed his hand on it, glancing worriedly at Sirius. "I shall see you in an hour," said Dumbledore quietly. "One, two, three."

Harry felt the familiar sensation of a hook being jerked behind his navel. The polished wooden floor was gone from beneath his feet. The Atrium, Fudge, Dumbledore, Sirius and Lupin had disappeared and he was flying forward in a whirlwind of color and sound.  
-  
**Author's Note**: One thing to note in this chapter is that Harry doesn't learn that he is incapable of performing an Unforgivable; neither does he receive the same manner of protection from the wizard statue due to Sirius and Remus' presence. It's rather interesting to think of what this little event could do to the future of the books.


	2. Explanations

**Title**: Slipped Away  
**Author**: Ex-Professor Remus Lupin  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Genre**: Action/Adventure/Alternate Universe/Romance  
**Era**: OotP – HBP  
**Pairing(s)**: Remus/Sirius (subtext based at the moment) and various others.  
**Summary**: In a world where Sirius never fell through the veil, things will take a different sort of turn.  
**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
**Author's Note**: I am trying for now, to keep most of this story in Harry's point of view as it is in the books. Eventually though, I plan to move beyond Harry's limited point of view to others and possibly to a more omnipresent point of view. Maybe. This was originally going to be one chapter, but when I reached eight pages, I decided to split it up into two chapters.  
-  
**Chapter Two**  
Explanations  
-  
Harry's feet hit solid ground again, his knees buckled a little, and the golden wizard's head fell with a resounding clunk to the floor. He looked around and saw that he had arrived in Dumbledore's office. Everything seemed to have repaired itself during the Headmaster's absence, the delicate silver instruments stood again on the spindle legged tables, puffing and whirring serenely. The portraits of the Headmasters and Headmistresses were snoozing in their frames, heads lolling back in armchairs or against the edge of their pictures.

Harry looked through the window. There was a cool line of pale green along the horizon. Dawn was approaching. The silence and the stillness, broken only by the occasional grunt or snuffle of the sleeping portrait, calmed him to an extent.

He walked around the quiet, beautiful office, breathing quickly, trying not to think, but he had to think. It was his fault that his friends were hurt. If he – Harry – had not been stupid enough to fall for Voldemort's trick, if he had not been so convinced that what he had seen in his dream was real, if he had only opened his mind to the possibility that Voldemort was – as Hermione has said – banking on Harry's love of playing the hero. Hermione had been unconscious – or she could not have been. What if one of them died? It would be his fault.

A picture behind him gave a particularly loud grunting snore and a cool voice said, "Ah, Harry Potter."

Phineas Nigellus gave a long yawn, stretching his arms as he surveyed Harry out of shrewd narrowed eyes.

"And what brings you here in the early hours of the morning?" said Phineas. "The Headmaster's office is supposed to be barred except to all but the rightful Headmaster. Or has Dumbledore sent you here. Oh don't tell me," he gave another shuddering yawn. "Another message from my worthless great-great grandson?"

Harry gazed at him. No message from Sirius, but of course, this reminded Harry that Sirius was still at the Ministry. He could be arrested again. Would he have to be held at the Ministry? Would they give him the Kiss? No – the Dementors were not under Ministry control.

"I hope this means," said the corpulent, red nosed wizard who hung on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk, "that Dumbledore will soon be back with us."

Harry turned. The wizard was surveying him with great interest. Harry nodded and returned to his pacing about the office.

"Oh good!" said the wizard. "It has been very dull without him. Very dull indeed."

He settled himself on the throne-like chair on which he had been painted and smiled benignly upon Harry.

"Dumbledore thinks very highly of you, as I am sure you know," he said comfortably. "Oh yes, holds you in great esteem."

The guilt, filling Harry's chest like some monstrous weighty parasite, writhed and squirmed. He could not stand this. Could not stand waiting for Dumbledore to appear so that he would not be forced to wonder if his friends were all right. If Sirius was proven innocent than he – Harry – could leave the Dursley's. It was eating him up and he paced, ignoring the portraits as they awoke, talking to themselves when they realized that Harry would not answer them.

The fireplace burst into emerald green flames, making Harry jump, staring at the man spinning inside the grate. As Dumbledore's tall form unfolded itself from the fire, the wizards and witches on the surrounding walls gave cries of welcome.

"Thank you," said Dumbledore softly.

He did not look at Harry at first, but walked over to the perch beside the door, and withdrew from the inside pocket of his robes, the tiny, ugly, featherless Fawkes, and placed him gently on the tray of ashes beneath the golden post where the full-grown Fawkes usually stood.

"Well, Harry," said Dumbledore, finally turning from the baby bird. "You will be pleased to hear that none of your fellow students are going to suffer lasting damage from the night's events. Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up now. Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St. Mungo's, but it seems she will make a full recovery."

"What about Sirius?" asked Harry, a wave of relief bursting from his chest.

"There is a hearing scheduled for next week and Sirius and Remus have returned to Grimmauld Place for the time being," Dumbledore replied, looking at him directly. Harry though, could barely meet his eyes.

Harry was sure that the portraits were all leaning in close, wondering where they had been and why there had been injuries.

"So – so I'll be able to live with Sirius now?" asked Harry, hopefully.

Dumbledore's smile disappeared and he shook his head.

"I am afraid that even if Sirius is proven innocent of the murder of Peter Pettigrew and given the freedom he deserves, that you will be unable to live with him. I am also afraid that you must remain at the Dursley's, if only for a little while longer," answered Dumbledore.

"Why?" demanded Harry.

"Sit down please," Dumbledore requested, and he crossed the room, sitting down behind his desk. Harry followed him, puzzled and angry as he lowered himself into the seat facing Dumbledore's desk.

"Harry, I feel that I must blame myself for what happened tonight, and that I must offer you an explanation."

"An explanation?" asked Harry, puzzled as to why Dumbledore wasn't answering his question. He didn't want an explanation.

"An explanation of an old man's mistakes. I see now that what I have done and not done with regard to you, bares all the hallmarks of the failings of age. Youth can not know how old age thinks and feels but old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young and I seem to have forgotten lately."

The sun was rising properly now. There was a rim of dazzling orange visible over the mountains and the sky above it was colorless and bright. The light fell upon Dumbledore, upon the silver of his eyebrows and beard, upon the lines gouged deeply into his face.

"I guessed fifteen years ago," said Dumbledore, "when I saw the scar upon your forehead, what it might mean. I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort."

"You've told me this before, Professor," said Harry softly, not wanting to be rude.

"Yes," said Dumbledore apologetically. "Yes, but you see, it is necessary to start with your scar for it became apparent shortly after you rejoined the magical world that I was correct and that your scar was giving you warnings whenever Voldemort was close to you or else feelings powerful emotion."

"I know," said Harry wearily.

"And this ability of yours to detect Voldemort's presence, even when he is disguised, and to know what he is feeling when his emotions arouse has become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers."

Harry nodded dully. He knew all of this all ready.

"More recently," said Dumbledore, "I became concerned that Voldemort might realize that this connection between you exists. Sure enough, you entered so far into his mind and thoughts that he sensed your presence. I am speaking of course of the night when you witnessed the attack on Mr. Weasley."

"Yeah, Snape told me," Harry muttered.

"Professor Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected him quietly. "But did you not wonder why it was not I who explain this to you? Why I did not teach your Occlumency? Why I had not so much as looked at you for months?"

Harry looked up. Dumbledore looked sad and tired.

"Yeah," Harry mumbled. "I wondered."

"You see," continued Dumbledore heavily, "I believed it would not be long before Voldemort attempted to force his way into your mind. To manipulate and misdirect your thoughts, and I was not eager to give him more incentives to do so. I was sure that if he realized that our relationship was, or had ever been, closer that that of Headmaster and pupil, he would seize his chance to use you as a means to spy on me.

"I feared the uses to which he would put you, the possibility that he might try and possess you. Harry, I believe I was right to believe that Voldemort would have made use of you in such a way. On those rare occasions when we had close contact, I thought I saw a shadow of him stir behind your eyes. I was trying, in distancing myself from you, to protect you. An old man's mistake."

Harry remembered the feeling that a dormant snake had risen in him, ready to strike, on the occasions when he and Dumbledore made eye contact.

"Voldemort's aim in possessing you, as he demonstrated tonight, would not have been my destruction, it would have been yours. He hoped when he possessed you, that I would sacrifice you in the hope of killing him," he sighed deeply.

Harry was letting the words sink in. He should have felt angry that Dumbledore had not told him this months ago, but it was clear to see that Dumbledore had not thought to do so and Harry could hardly grudge him that.

"Sirius told me that you said you felt Voldemort awake inside you the very night that you had the vision of Arthur Weasley's attack. I knew at once that my worst fears were correct. Voldemort from that point had realized that he could use you. In an attempt to arm you against Voldemort's assaults on your mind, I arrange Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape," he paused.

Harry watched the sunlight, which was sliding slowly across the polished surface of Dumbledore's desk; illuminate a silver inkpot and a handsome scarlet quill. Harry could tell that the portraits around them were awake and listening raptly to Dumbledore's explanation. He could hear the occasional rustled of robes, the slight clearing of a throat.

"Professor Snape discovered," Dumbledore resumed, "that you had been dreaming about the door to the Department of Mysteries for months. Voldemort, of course, had been obsessed with the possibility of hearing the prophecy ever since he regained his body and as he dwelled on the door, so did you, though you did not know what it meant and then you saw Rookwood, who worked for the Department of Mysteries, telling Voldemort what we had known all along; that the prophecies held in the Ministry of Magic are heavily protected; only the people to whom they refer can lift them from the shelves without suffering madness. In this case, either Voldemort himself would have to enter the Ministry of Magic and risk revealing himself at last, or else you would have to take it for him. It became a matter of greater urgency that you should master Occlumency."

"But I didn't," muttered Harry. "I didn't practice. I didn't bother. I could have stopped myself having those dreams. Hermione kept telling me to do it. If I had, he'd never have been able to show me where to go and – and my friends," he felt the need to explain. "I tried to check though. I went to Umbridge's office; I spoke to Kreacher in the fire. He said Sirius wasn't there. He said he'd gone."

"Kreacher lied," said Dumbledore, calmly. "You are not his master. He could lie to you without even needing to punish himself. Kreacher intended you to go to the Ministry of Magic."

"He sent me on purpose?"

"Oh yes. Kreacher, I'm afraid, has been serving more than one master for months."

"How?" asked Harry, blankly. "He hasn't been out of Grimmauld Place for years."

"Kreacher seized his opportunity shortly before Christmas," said Dumbledore. "When Sirius apparently shouted at him to "Get out!" he took Sirus at his word and interpreted this as an order to leave the house. He went to the only Black family member for whom he had any respect left. Sirius' cousin, Narcissa, sister of Bellatrix and wife of Lucius Malfoy."

"How do you know all this?" Harry asked, his heart beating very fast. He felt sick. He remembered worrying about Kreacher's odd absence over Christmas. He remembered him turning up again in the attic.

"Kreacher told me last night," said Dumbledore. "You see, when you gave Professor Snape that cryptic warning, he realized that you had had a vision of Sirius trapped in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries. He, like you, attempted to contact Sirius at once. I should explain that members of the Order of the Phoenix have more reliable ways of communicating then the fires in Dolores Umbridge's office. Professor Snape found that Sirius was alive and safe in Grimmauld Place. When, however, you did not return from your trip into the forest with Dolores Umbridge, Professor Snape grew worried that you still believed Sirius to be a captive of Lord Voldemort. He alerted certain Order members at once."

Dumbledore heaved a great sigh and then said; "Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Remus Lupin were at headquarters when he made contact. All agreed to go to your aid at once. Professor Snape requested that Sirius remain behind, as he needed somebody to remain at headquarters to tell me what had happened for I was due there at any moment.

"In the mean time, he – Professor Snape – intended to search the forest for you, but Sirius did not wish to remain behind while the others went to search for you. He delegated to Kreacher the task of telling me what had happened and so it was, that when I arrived in Grimmauld Place, shortly after they had all left for the ministry, it was the elf who told me, laughing, fit to burst, where Sirius had gone."

"He was laughing," said Harry angrily.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore. "You see Kreacher was not able to betray us totally. He is not Secret Keeper for the Order; he could not give the Malfoy's our whereabouts or tell them any of the Orders confidential plans that he had been forbidden to reveal. He was bound by the enchantments of his kind which is to say that he could not disobey a direct order from his master, Sirius, but he gave Narcissa information of the sort that is very valuable to Voldemort yet must seem much too trivial for Sirius to have banned him from repeating it."

"Like what?" Harry asked.

"Like the fact that the person Sirius cares most about in the world is you," Dumbledore said quietly. "Like the fact that you regard Sirius as a mixture of father and brother. Voldemort knows of course that Sirius is in the Order, that you know where he is, but Kreacher's information made him realize that the one person whom you would go to any lengths to rescue, was and still is Sirius Black."

Harry's lips were cold and numb.

"So when I asked Kreacher if Sirius was there last night–"

"The Malfoy's undoubtedly on Voldemort's instructions had told him that he must find a way of keeping Sirius out of the way once you had seen the vision of Sirius being tortured, then if you decided to check whether Sirius was at home or not, Kreacher would be able to pretend he was not. Kreacher injured Buckbeak the Hippogriff yesterday and at the moment when you made your appearance in the fire, Sirius was upstairs trying to tend to him," Harry nodded faintly.

"And Kreacher told you all this, and laughed?" he said slowly, was this why he could not live with Sirius?

"He did not wish to tell me," said Dumbledore, "but I am a sufficiently accomplish Legilimence myself to know when I am being lied to and I persuaded him to tell me the full story before I left for the Department of Mysteries."

"And," spat Harry, "and Hermione kept telling us to be nice to him."

"She was quite right, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I warned Sirius when we adopted Twelve Grimmauld Place as our headquarters that Kreacher must be treated with kindness and respect. I also told him that Kreacher could be dangerous to us. I do not think that Sirius took me very seriously or that he sees Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a human's. I think that I may have to speak with him and Remus this time in the hopes of getting the message through."

"Don't blame Sirius for that," Harry said sharply. "Kreacher's a lying, foul little thing."

"Kreacher is what he has been made by wizards, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Yes, he is to be pitied. His existence has been as miserable as your friend Dobby's. He is forced to do Sirius' bidding because Sirius is the last of the family to which he is enslaved, but he feels no real loyalty to him. Whatever Kreacher's faults, it must be admitted that Sirius has done nothing to make Kreacher's lot easier."

Harry's eyes narrowed a bit.

"I don't think being locked in that wretched house made Sirius' lot any easier either," he spat.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes and I take full responsibility for that, but I am positive that Sirius will no longer be locked in that wretched house, as you so put it, much longer. Of course, that still does not explain all that happened last night and I have only begun to explain everything to you. You contacted Kreacher and then told Severus–"

"I told him Voldemort had Sirius, he just sneered at me, as usual," said Harry violently.

"Harry, you know that Professor Snape had no choice but to pretend not to take you seriously in front of Dolores Umbridge," said Dumbledore steadily, not at all put off by Harry's interruption. "As I have explained, he informed the Order as soon as possible about what you had said. It was he who had deduced where you had gone when you did not return from the forest and it was he too who gave Professor Umbridge fake Veritaserum when she was attempting to force you to tell of Sirius' whereabouts."

"Oh," said Harry, looking at his hands. "Snape stopped giving me Occlumency lessons. He threw me out of his office."

"I am aware of it," said Dumbledore heavily. "I have all ready said that it was a mistake for me not to teach you myself, though I was sure at the time that nothing could have been more dangerous than to open your mind even further to Voldemort while in my presence."

"Snape made it worse. My scar always hurt worse after lessons with him," Harry remembered Ron's thoughts on the subject. "How do you know he wasn't trying to soften me up for Voldemort, make it easier for him to get inside my–"

"I trust Severus Snape," said Dumbledore simply, "but I forgot, another old man's mistake, that some old wounds run too deep for the healing. I thought Professor Snape could overcome his feelings about your father. I was wrong."

"But that's okay," Harry said angrily. "It's okay for Snape to hate my dad but it's not okay for Sirius to hate Kreacher?"

"Sirius does not hate Kreacher," said Dumbledore. "He regards him as a servant unworthy of much interest or notice. Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike. The fountain we destroyed tonight told a lie. We wizards have mistreated and abused our fellows for too long and we are now reaping our reward."

"I don't understand," said Harry.

"Sirius is a kind man, but he had no love for Kreacher because Kreacher is a living reminder of the home Sirius hated. I am sure, Harry, that you would feel the same were you in his shoes."

"Yeah," said Harry, standing up and walking toward the window. The sun was bright inside the room and the eyes of all the portraits followed him as he walked. "You're making him stay shut up in that house and he hates it. That's why he wanted to get out last night."

"I was trying to keep Sirius from being found. As you can see, had I not been there, he would have been arrested and brought back to Azkaban," said Dumbledore quietly.

"People don't like being locked up," Harry said, rounding on him. "You did it to me all last summer."

Dumbledore closed his eyes and buried his face in his long fingered hands. Harry watched him, the uncharacterized sign of exhaustion or sadness or whatever it was from Dumbledore softening his irritation with him. After all, Sirius would be free soon and he would be able to leave that wretched house as much as he'd like.

"I want to live with Sirius," Harry announced. "Why can't I?"

Dumbledore lowered his hands and looked at Harry through his half-moon glasses.

"It is time," he said, "for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I'm going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience."

-  
**Author's Note**: I'm quite pleased with this chapter actually and the little differences in Harry's attitude and all of that.


End file.
